Posts Tagged ‘celtics’

The Red Sox were off to a 2-9 start. The Celtics couldn’t stand themselves up at the end of the regular season. The one bright spot Boston had was the most unlikely of heroes- The Bruins.

But now in late April, it’s a great time to be a Boston sports fan. The Red Sox have crawled out of whatever rock they were living under to go from that dismal 2-9 start to a 10-12 record. Over the last 9 games, their starting pitchers have an ERA of just over 1, a pleasant surprise to the Fenway Faithful, not to mention the bats starting to come alive.

The Celtics are waiting for their next opponent, as they swept the New York Knicks with ease in the first round of the NBA postseason. And with the Big Shamroq on his way back to the court, they could be singing McFadden and Whitehead by next week.

Game 7 was forced by the Montreal Canadians, but the Bruins are bringing the battle back to home ice tonight in hopes of moving on in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

Best chance for success? Has to be the Bruins. They have too much talent to not do well this postseason, and once they clear Montreal, their momentum is going to help them melt the ice under their opponents.

The Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots are some of the most well-known teams in the nation, and there has to be a reason, right? Wrong. There are ten reasons.

1. The four teams have combined for 26 playoff appearances in the past 10 years, bringing 6 championships back to Beantown.

2. Size matters. Zdeno Chara, captain of the Bruins is 6’9” (over 7 feet tall with skates) and weighs 255 pounds-the biggest man in NHL history. Vince Wilfork, ex-Mack truck now-defensive lineman for the Patriots is 6’2” and 325 pounds. Also listed at 325 pounds, is Shaquille “The Big Shamroq” O’Neal-he just happens to be 11 inches taller. And not to be outdone in the nickname department, David “Big Papi” Ortiz is 6’4” and 230 pounds.

3. Boston sports have some of the best rivalries in the wide world of sports. The Red Sox and New York Yankees have steamrolled catchers, charged mounds and even thrown coaches to the ground in their heated battles. The Bruins and Montreal Canadiens just combined for over 150 penalty minutes in a single game before the Bruins won, 8-6. The Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are the two greatest franchises in the NBA, and have combined for 17 championships a piece in the 65 years since the league was founded, and have met in 2 NBA Finals in the past 3 years, splitting the difference. And it seems like the New England Patriots have had a target on their back since their Super Bowl takeover starting in 2001. They’ve been accused of spying on other teams’ practices and receive daily scrutiny from the national media-mostly complaints on how the quarterback’s hair is too long and sexy.

4. Welcome to College Hockeytown, USA. Host of the annual Beanpot Tournament between BC, BU, Harvard and Northeastern, and home to the NCAA Division I Champions 10 different times. If pro sports aren’t your thing, you’ll never have a bad time watching some good old-fashioned college hockey.

5. In 2012, one of the most famous buildings in all of sports will be immortalized, becoming a national landmark. Fenway Park, or ‘The Chapel’ as its congregators commonly refer to it, is truly the mecca of baseball. From the Green Monster in left field, to the how-to guide published by the head groundskeeper titled “The Lawn Bible,” walking into Fenway Park is like the feeling you would get seeing Star Wars for the first time and Christmas rolled into one big bundle.

6. Boston fans mean as much business as their players do. In no other city will you hear a “U-S-A” chant when the boys are facing a team from Toronto or Montreal on their home turf, court or ice. We know to keep our hands and feet out of the way if a foul ball is in play, and we know that if someone is up against the boards to pound the glass til their head spins. Maybe its unfair that all of our teams play with an extra 25,000 players?

7. The Boston Bruins advertising campaign is easily the best in sports today. If you haven’t seen the videos, here’s one of their best: “Never Date Within The Division”

8. Even our politicians are diehards! Who could forget Mayor Thomas Menino’s shout out to Jason Varitek for “splitting the uprights?” Or Senator John Kerry expressing his support for “Manny Ortez?” Or was it “David Ortez?” Either way, you’re wrong, guy.